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👑 Our favorite credit cards: https://www.departuredigest.com/p/best-credit-cards

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You can stretch your hotel points further than you might think. Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors can both give you a free fifth night when you book five consecutive nights with points. The one caveat is that Hilton requires elite status to unlock the perk, but that’s pretty easy to get. IHG takes a slightly different approach, giving eligible cardholders a free fourth night.

If you’re under 25, there’s another easy way to save. Rental car companies often charge young-driver fees, but AAA members ages 20 to 24 can have that fee waived on qualifying Hertz rentals. We’ll explain how to get the benefit and a couple of other ways to save on your next rental.

And to round things out, a popular cash-back card just got some useful new travel benefits, including no foreign transaction fees, elevated value on select hotel bookings and a limited-time welcome offer.

Learn more about our favorite cash-back cards: https://go.departuredigest.com/cashback

Timeline

0:00 Start Here

0:19 Free Fifth Hotel Nights With Points

1:56 How to Avoid Young-Driver Rental Fees

3:41 A Popular Cash-Back Card Gets Travel Benefits

4:10 Sign-Off

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Advertiser Disclosure: Departure Digest may receive compensation through our partnership with advertisers when you click on links to offers on this page. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain. Terms apply. The information is valid at the time of posting.

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———

Getting a free hotel upgrade doesn’t always require elite status. We’re sharing a few simple ways to improve your odds, from asking nicely and mentioning a special occasion to messaging the hotel before you arrive. Timing can help, too, especially if you have some flexibility around when you check in. And then there’s our favorite strategy: “suite talking.”

Plus, Hilton Honors and IHG both have new promotions worth registering for. Hilton is offering up to 3,000 bonus points on eligible stays, while IHG is offering up to 3x points depending on how you book. Register now, even if you don’t have a stay booked yet, so you don’t forget when you do.

And if you’re someone who needs their hotel room at approximately 60 degrees to sleep, we have a thermostat trick that could help. We’re also sharing why you should put an AirTag in every checked bag.

Register for the Hilton Honors bonus points promo: https://www.hilton.com/en/offers/promotions/more-points-to-play/

Register for the IHG bonus points promo: https://www.ihg.com/content/us/en/deals/member-offers/3xpts?offerCode=72539

Timeline

0:00 Start Here

0:15 Hilton and IHG Hotel Promotions

1:07 How to Get a Free Hotel Upgrade

3:22 The Hotel Thermostat Trick

3:50 Why You Should AirTag Your Checked Bags

4:21 Sign-Off

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Advertiser Disclosure: Departure Digest may receive compensation through our partnership with advertisers when you click on links to offers on this page. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain. Terms apply. The information is valid at the time of posting.

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———

One of our favorite travel credit cards is celebrating its birthday with hundreds of dollars in limited-time travel offers, including up to $200 back on a JSX flight and up to $125 back on an eligible hotel stay after qualifying spend. Just be sure to activate the offer before you book. The JSX offer alone could cover a big chunk of a one-way semi-private flight.

Then we head to Amsterdam Schiphol, where Amex just opened its first Centurion Lounge in Europe. The nearly 6,000-square-foot lounge has local art, floor-to-ceiling windows, a full bar, food and a barista-made coffee bar. We cover where to find it, who can access it and why its relatively small size could mean waits at one of Europe’s busiest airports.

And to round things out, the new AirPods 5 are now available with Active Noise Cancellation and Live Translation, which could be especially useful when traveling.

Learn more about one of our favorite travel credit cards: https://go.departuredigest.com/travelcard

Get $100 off your first JSX flight: https://go.departuredigest.com/jsx

Timeline

0:00 Start Here

0:20 Travel Offers for Flights and Hotels

1:55 First European Centurion Lounge in Amsterdam

2:54 AirPods 5 for Travelers

3:48 Sign-Off

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Advertiser Disclosure: Departure Digest may receive compensation through our partnership with advertisers when you click on links to offers on this page. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain. Terms apply. The information is valid at the time of posting.

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